Arago: Exhibits

Washington National Cathedral

In 1893 Congress granted a charter to build an Episcopal Cathedral in Washington on Mount Saint Alban, the highest point in the city. Two years later the Episcopal Diocese of Washington was created under Bishop Henry Yates Satterlee who proceeded to supervise the Cathedral construction. The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as the Washington National Cathedral, was begun in 1907 with the ceremonial address given by President Theodore Roosevelt, a Mason. Construction of this gothic cathedral was completed 83 years later, reflecting L'Enfant's plan for a "great church for National Purposes."

More than two hundred stained glass windows glorify the National Cathedral’s limestone structure which includes tributes to George Washington.